Note:  The Networking Session may not have any refreshments

 

Chicago Software Process Improvement Network

(C-SPIN) Meeting

                             

Special Date and Time:  Wednesday, January 7, 2004, 4:00 - 6:30 PM

 

Special Location:  SBC Center Campus

SBC Institute Auditorium – Room 129

Lakewood Blvd and Eagle Way, Hoffman Estates, Illinois

(See directions and parking information at end of announcement)

 

Unleashing the Power of Distributed Intelligence Beth Rehm   /   SBC

 

Program Overview

As organizations grow in size, geographical scope, and complexity, experts with similar areas of knowledge are often distributed across the enterprise and disconnected from their peers in other units. Communities of Practice (CoP)—groups whose members regularly engage in sharing and learning, based on common interests—serve to reconnect individuals with each other in self-organizing, boundary-spanning communities.

 

Sponsorship and support of communities of practice is increasing as organizations realize that communities of practice create organizational value by developing social capital. The social capital resident in communities of practice leads to behavioral changes, which in turn positively influence business performance.

 

This program will describe how a project management CoP evolved at SBC and how the company leverages this organization to develop professional expertise in project management.

 

Presenter

Beth Rehm, PMP, is a Senior Business Manager at SBC, responsible for the ITS Project Management Improvement Program. Beth started a project management CoP at SBC in January 2003. This group now has over 900 members nationwide and has provided over 1000 hours of formal project management education throughout 2003. For the past 20 years Beth has held numerous roles in Information Technology concentrating on business process improvement and project management.

 

Agenda

4:00 – 5:00 p.m. Networking and Registration (Availability of refreshments yet to be determined)

5:00 – 5:10 p.m. Overview of C-SPIN and Introductions

5:10 – 6:10 p.m. Presentation

6:10 – 6:30 p.m. Question and Answer Session

 

C-SPIN is made possible through the efforts of its Steering Committee. The Steering Committee is composed of: Fred Ballard, Susan Bidwill, Kathy Brown, Steve Coffman, Alan Cohen, Susan Davidowski, Larry Dribin, Ross Fraser, Bob Freer, George Gatsis, Tony Kvitek, Donna Miller, Bob Pauwels, Nimmi Shamdasani, Scott Stribrny, and Lance Welter.

 

C-SPIN is a leadership forum for the free and open exchange of software process improvement experiences and practical ideas. We promote achieving higher levels of process maturity, software quality and mutual respect. Companies, academic institutions, government organizations and individuals are invited.

 

There is no need to pre-register for the meeting, but please check in at the registration table when you arrive.

 

For more information regarding this meeting, C-SPIN, or the steering committee, contact George Gatsis at ggatsis@fsc.follett.com or (815) 578-7638.

 

To receive future announcements electronically, send your e-mail address (include name, address, company, phone) to George Gatsis, ggatsis@fsc.follett.com

 

Directions and Parking

 

From I-90 Northwest Tollway exit North on Barrington Road. Take Barrington Road to Lakewood Blvd (2nd light) and turn East (right) onto Lakewood Blvd. Turn right into the SBC Campus Center’s West Employee Entrance (1 entrance past Eagle Way) and follow the signs to the West Parking Structures.  Parking is available in covered lots W2 or W3 and additional parking is available in the upper level parking lot W1. The Institute Building is located across the road (west of the parking structures).

 

View map of SBC Campus Center.